Klarinet Archive - Posting 000257.txt from 2011/01

From: "Kevin Fay" <kevin.fay.home@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] clarinet suggestions
Date: Tue, 25 Jan 2011 02:14:54 -0500

Richard Smith posted:

<<<The Selmer Series 9 Bb I used back then and still have has some major
problems that aren't worth repairing according to a technician who looked at
it. The rods are no longer securely seated and wobble, for example, so he'd
have to take all the keys off and rebore the holes to reattach them firmly.
The pads are 1970's vintage and need replacing and the clarinet doesn't seal
very well. I suppose after years of non-use the wood dehydrated and shrank.
The technician was able to repair it enough to make it barely acceptable
for practicing purposes and to get my chops back, but not really for serious
use. Rather than putting a lot of money into repairing it, I think maybe
it's time to start thinking about buying a new one.>>>

I'm all for new horns - but it sounds that you might first try a new repair
technician. The Selmer Series 9 is a fine horn - it should be able to be
repaired. A decent repad will cost you a couple of hundred bucks. The
dried-out wood could be re-hydrated with a wet sponge, a zip-loc bag and a
couple of weeks of patient waiting.

If you insist on buying a new horn anyway - and why not, they're fun! - I'd
suggest you try a Yamaha or two. The design and build quality are both
excellent. Whether because of the dollar-yen exchange or just marketing
incentive, the street price here in the U.S. seems to be many hundreds of
dollars less than the European horns.

I bought a pair of CSGs this summer myself. The CSVs are excellent
clarinets (I have a pair of those as well).

YMMV, of course, so by all means test first.

kjf

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